Famed biologist Richard Dawkins resigned from the board of a prominent U.S. atheist organization last week, after it censored an article arguing that gender is tied to biology.
British outlet The Telegraph reported Monday that the Freedom From Religion Foundation pulled the article "Biology is not Bigotry" from its site following backlash from pro-trans individuals. In turn, Dawkins resigned.
In his resignation letter to the foundation, Dawkins called the removal of the piece "an act of unseemly panic" and accused the foundation of having "caved in to hysterical squeals from predictable quarters and retrospectively censored that excellent rebuttal."
Biologist and fellow FFRF member Jerry Coyne composed the "censored" article as a rebuttal to non-binary author and FFRF fellow Kat Grant’s November article titled, "What is a Woman?"
The biologist’s piece argued that "any attempt to define womanhood on biological terms is inadequate."
Coyne’s follow-up challenged Grant’s point directly, arguing "the biological definition of ‘woman’" is based on gamete type.
Shortly after FFRF published Coyne’s piece, board co-presidents Dan Barker and Annie Laurie Gaylor unpublished it and released a statement explaining their decision.
"Publishing this post was an error of judgment, and we have decided to remove it as it does not reflect our values and principles. We regret any distress caused by this post and are committed to ensuring it doesn’t happen again," they wrote.
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Following the move, both Coyne and US-Canadian psychologist Prof. Steven Pinker resigned from the foundation. Pinker blasted the group, saying it’s "no longer a defender of freedom from religion but the imposer of a new religion, complete with dogma, blasphemy, and heretics."
In an email to FFRF leadership, Coyne wrote, "That is a censorious behavior I cannot abide. I was simply promoting a biological rather than a psychological definition of sex, and I do not understand why you would consider that ‘distressing’ and also an attempt to hurt LGBTQIA+ people, which I would never do."
He added, "The gender ideology which caused you to take down my article is itself quasi-religious, having many aspects of religions and cults, including dogma, blasphemy, belief in what is palpably untrue (‘a woman is whoever she says she is’), apostasy, and a tendency to ignore science when it contradicts a preferred ideology."
Coyne also shared the full text of Dawkins’ resignation letter on his website. In it, the atheist addressed the foundation’s co-presidents. "It is with real sadness, because of my personal regard for you both, that I feel obliged to resign from the Honorary Board of FFRF."
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After ripping the move for caving to pro-trans activists, he slammed them for how they treated Coyne, stating, "to summarily take it down without even informing the author of your intention was an act of lamentable discourtesy to a member of your own Honorary Board. A Board which I now leave with regret."
Dawkins ended the letter amicably, however, writing, "Although I formally resign, I would like to remain on friendly terms with you, and I look forward to cooperating in the future."
Co-president Taylor responded to the resignations, The Telegraph reported, indicating the foundation has no intention to reverse their decision. "We do not feel that support for LGBTQ rights against the religious backlash in the United States is mission creep," she said, adding, "This growing difference of opinion probably made such a parting inevitable."
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Dawkins has criticized transgender ideology in recent years. During an episode of his podcast in 2023, Dawkins declared, "Sex really is binary. You’re either male or female, and it’s absolutely clear you can do it on gamete size. You can do it on chromosomes. To me, as a biologist, it’s distinctly weird people can simply declare ‘I am a woman though I have a penis.'"
Dawkins declined Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
